Brace yourself, because the unstoppable Ford Mustang just took things up to a new level. The brand-new Mustang Dark Horse R is making its debut– a track only vehicle that takes the Dark Horse up a notch and turns it into the ultimate racing machine.
“Mustang Dark Horse R has been developed with Mustang racing enthusiasts top of mind,” said Jim Owens, Ford Mustang Marketing manager. “Ford Performance leaned into countless areas of expertise developed through years of racing the Mustang and honed in on an aggressive yet approachable package for customers to pick up and play with.”
The Dark Horse R is the most track-capable 5.0-liter V8 street-legal Mustang ever, although it still shares some qualities with the road going Mustang Dark Horse, like a Flat Rock Assembly Plant-provided body, 500+ horsepower 5.0-liter V8 engine, Tremec 3160 manual transmission, Torsen limited slip differential with 3.73 final drive ratio, and aero and Brembo rear brake calipers/rotors.
This version of the Mustang was designed for the new, single-make Mustang Challenge series, scheduled to start in 2024. The series will have a 10 to 12-race calendar as well as a mix of five to six North American sports car race weekends that haven’t been announced yet.
“Mustang Dark Horse R owners will have the opportunity to race and test their driving skills with other Mustang enthusiasts at some of the world's most incredible tracks,” said Mark Rushbrook, global director, Ford Performance Motorsports.
The Ford Performance Racing School will be managing this IMSA-sanctioned series. Each round will include two practice sessions, one qualifying session and two sprint races, with contingency payouts for the top finishers and a chance at the title of overall series champion at the end of the season.
“The new Mustang Challenge series is a perfect addition to our IMSA family and we are grateful to our longtime partners at Ford for trusting us to be the sanctioning body for this spectacular new platform,” said IMSA President John Doonan. “When I was a little boy going to the race track, I vividly remember the rumble of the Mustang race cars and their V8 power, so imagining a full field of Dark Horse Rs charging into Turn 1 for the first time on an IMSA race weekend will bring back a flood of memories and be awe inspiring.”
With so much going on in the Mustang herd, there’s sure to be more interesting updates soon.
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